OAN’s Abril Elfi
4:54 PM – Sunday, October 22, 2023
An 11-year-old trans child has been named the youngest grand marshal of the Orlando Pride parade.
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On Saturday, Dempsey Jara rode as the grand marshal at Orlando’s Come Out With Pride Festival, making Jara the youngest to do so in the Pride event’s 18-year history.
According to Jara’s mom, 45-year-old Jaimie Jara, the child has “just always gravitated toward girl things, girls’ toys.”
“She’d say, ‘I’m a girl in my heart and my brain,’” the mother said. “She’s been on this journey since she was five and she’s living her best life.”
More than 200,000 people were anticipated to attend the daylong festival, which was to finish with fireworks and performances by previous RuPaul’s Drag Race champions LaLa Ri and Monet X Change.
The 11-year-old told the press that being transgender is not “about a choice” but being true to one’s self.
“’It’s about being true to myself. It’s about embracing who I am even when the world tries to tell me otherwise,” Dempsey said. “It’s about standing tall in my identity even when it’s really hard.”
The child had the birth certificate changed in 2019 to reflect their new gender.
Even though Dempsey began the transition at 5-years-old, Jaimie said that Dempsey has been gender non-conforming since the age of 18 months.
This comes amid Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) banning gender-affirming care for children and banning school lessons about gender identity or sexual orientation through the legislation “Don’t Say Gay Bill.”
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